A BEAUTIFUL BRAINLondon: Although Scottish designer Christopher Kane did not take the helm at Balenciaga as originally rumored on Twitter last year, a new partnership with PPR has already strengthened his eponymous brand. Confidently switching gears each season, Kane’s collections are always exciting and original, which for F/W 13 meant a dark, graphic exploration of camouflage, military detailing and dynamic embellishments, quite the opposite of Spring’s pastel pop. Smooth satin gave a flattened look to camo kilts, a-line minidresses and overcoats fastened with chunky leather buckle straps, a closure repeated on wavy guipure lace pieces. From there Kane piled on the texture, moving from velvet dresses stitched together with crochet panels, to Sergeant Pepper embroidery, feather body-mapping, flowers, layered rectangles, metallic tinsel and even sliced brain-scan graphics. Somehow, through all of this, collection landed just short of overblown, a testament to the captivating nature of such an inventive fashion mind.—Nina Stotler